The root cause of the confrontation with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Bilal Hassan - (Opinion) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am

Last Friday, the al-Aqsa Mosque transformed from a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic symbol to a scene of confrontation and clashes between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupant forces, with Israel resorting to violence even within a yard of the mosque. What was the reaction to this?

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The Jerusalem Conference in Doha: Day 2
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am

Yesterday I posted at the Forward with some of my concerns at the end of day one of the Arab League conference on Jerusalem in Doha. Below are my comments at the end of day two. ?Given my frustrations over day one's speeches and discussion, I steeled myself today to speak up. I did so in the closing round of comments in the committee I was attending (the Civil Society Group). When the moderator called on me I introduced myself as follows (not verbatim, but close):

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Jerusalem Isn't Just for Arabs, Either
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) February 27, 2012 - 1:00am

I write this late on Sunday night in Doha, following the first day of the Arab League’s Conference on Jerusalem. I am attending the conference as an individual and a member of the foreign policy community — not as a representative of any organization (as is the case when I attend most conferences). That said, the organizers of the conference knew when they invited me that I am a Zionist. Most of my professional life (and much of my personal life) has been dedicated to fighting for peace for Israel and fighting against biased views on all sides of the issues.

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If there were no Iranian threat
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Doron Rosenblum - (Opinion) February 24, 2012 - 1:00am

None of the people who, correctly, fear an Israeli attack on Iran and the war that would follow have considered the fact that "the next war" is already here. It has been entrenched in our consciousness and that of our leaders so deeply and for so long that most of the tension concerns its timing, not its probability. What was it that Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz was quoted as saying this week?

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Nobody believes Israel as its nuclear monopoly weakens
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Michael Young - (Opinion) February 23, 2012 - 1:00am

A procession of American officials has been visiting Israel lately, to persuade the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to bomb Iran before international sanctions have had time to take hold. The arguments against an operation are familiar, but they also speak to an underlying malaise in how the world views Israel.

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Camp David pact in jeopardy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Linda S. Heard - (Opinion) February 22, 2012 - 1:00am

Relations between Cairo and Washington are on a slippery slope now that Washington's man former president Hosni Mubarak can no longer protect them. The row is over Egypt's investigation of non-profit organisations operating in the country without licence and suspected of criminally receiving foreign funding to foment unrest against the ruling military. They include Freedom House, the International Centre for Journalists as well as the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute that work closely with individuals in the US Congress.

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India’s rationale for Iran-Israel relations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Meena Janardhan - (Opinion) February 22, 2012 - 1:00am

Though Iran’s role in the recent bombing of an Israeli diplomat’s car in New Delhi remains unconfirmed, India is under pressure to join the growing international isolation of Tehran.

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Israel's risky option on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Los Angeles Times
by Dalia Dassa Kaye - (Opinion) February 21, 2012 - 1:00am

Talk of a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities is not subsiding. If diplomacy can't head off Iran's nuclear ambitions, advocates for a military strike in Israel and the United States will only gain strength. While proponents may believe that Israel can endure the short-term military and diplomatic fallout of such action, the long-term consequences are likely to be disastrous for Israel's security.

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Q&A affecting the future of the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) February 20, 2012 - 1:00am

Over the past two weeks I have been on a speaking tour in the United States (one more week to go). I am appearing on college campuses, some, such as Johns Hopkins, American University and George Washington in the main cities of the country.

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Netanyahu's border proposal: Israel to annex settlement blocs, but not Jordan Valley
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 19, 2012 - 1:00am

Three weeks after the end of the talks that took place between Israel and the Palestinians in Amman which took place under the patronage of the King of Jordan, Israeli officials revealed their version of the events, laying the blame on the failure of the talks on Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Despite the mutual “blame game,” according to positions presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the topic of borders, it is clear that it is not much different than the positions presented by Tzipi Livni during the Annapolis Conference.

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